Seismic data bandwidth controls the resolution of imaging subsurface geology. The broader the data bandwidth is, the better the resolving power to separate geological units. Unfortunately, the absorptive earth media attenuates frequencies during wave propagation, especially the higher frequencies. The loss of data bandwidth could reduce the resolution in mapping reservoirs accurately. The proposed 3D algorithm is one of the methods to broaden 3D data bandwidth. It simultaneously determines both unknown reflectivity series and source signature using a mixed L2 and sparse-spike inversion schemes. One of the keys of this method includes a constraint of a 3D structure-preserving filter in minimizing the presence of noise in the data. This constraint helps to produce a better estimation of the source signature and reflectivity series. In addition, it preserves the fidelity of the seismic data structures and maintains the same data phases before and after this process. The bandwidth broadening of both low and high frequencies, while preserving data structures, is critical in producing higher-resolution images in mapping reservoirs.

We apply this proposed method to synthetic and three field data sets. The first data set, from Kansas, validates the well tie with data after the frequency broadening. The second data set, from Permian basin in Texas, increases the spatial resolution in mapping the areal extent of an upper Wolfcamp C limestone for optimal fracking operations. The third data set, from South Texas, broadens the frequency contents to better identifying faults and salt dome features. The synthetic and real data examples demonstrate that this proposed method is effective in broadening the data bandwidth of both low and high frequencies to improve the success in meeting exploration objectives.

Speaker Biography: Stephen Chiu, In-Depth Geophysical

Stephen Chiu received a BSc in Geophysics from University of Saskatchewan in 1980; MSc in Geophysics from University of Alberta in 1982; and a PhD in Geophysics from University of Alberta in 1985. He worked for several seismic service providers in Calgary as a research geophysicist from 1985 to 1997. From 1997 to 2015, he was employed by ConocoPhillips to further advance seismic research in various exploration areas. In 2016, he joined In-depth Geophysical, Inc. as a principal geophysicist. His research experiences spans all facets of geophysical software development and applications. His current research interests include broadening data bandwidth, migration, denoise, data reconstruction, and multiple-sourcing algorithms. He has been a member of the SEG for over thirty years. He held several patents and published over 49 publications.